The Denver, Colorado-born actress, one of three children and the only daughter of John and Helen Murray,[2] won a Tony Award for her performance as the vile "Fraulein Kost" in the original Broadway production of Cabaret (1966). She understudied the role of "Fraulein Schneider", originated by Lotte Lenya, and eventually took over that role full-time when Lenya left the production.[3]